As expressed in the title of the present specification, the following invention refers to some improvements in Patent of Invention P9800864 for: vending machine, the improvements being based on the product dispensing mechanism, which is defined by a conveyor chain or conveyor belt provided with respective product conveying elements. Said elements are positioned equidistantly in accordance with the size of the products, in such a way that in the forward movement of the conveyor chain or conveyor belt the conveying elements push the products along a base open in the center and for the purpose of guaranteeing a perfect forward movement of the conveyor chain or conveyor belt the conveying elements have a pair of stubs that are under the two strips that define the base for positioning and forward movement of the goods.
In this way, the conveying elements are always in a vertical position on the base for positioning and forward movement of the goods and a possible rising of the goods with respect to the base is prevented, permitting the conveyor chain or conveyor belt to be released from the pinion, making it turn and not convey the chain in the interlocking.
The dispensing mechanism that the improvements refer to is useful to be installed in product vending machines, especially in cold product vending machines that dispense products that should be kept at a low temperature and beverages that are dispensed cold.
As indicated in Patent P9800864, vending machines that include refrigerating equipment are used to dispense cold drinks or food products which due to their ingredients need to be kept at a low temperature until they are consumed, in such a way that the mechanisms necessary for the removal of the selected products vary in one case or the other, as a logical result of the goods to be handled.
Hence, we can consider those vending machines of refrigerated food products that have some bodies rotating between two shafts, a top one and another bottom one, which are provided with some blades, which like compartments, house the goods to be dispensed.
The main inconvenience that this type of vending machine has is that the number of goods to be selected is very small, for example six. Furthermore, the distance between the blades that define the compartments is fixed, for which reason depending on the product to be placed in the compartment, it may happen that due to its volume there is a lot of wasted space.
The fact that the distance between the blades of the bodies where the products are deposited is fixed, is due to the fact that the owner of the vending machine is the one who should decide what goods are to be placed inside in order to be sold. Hence, the manufacturer should manufacture it with some fixed dimensions.
On the other hand, given that the bodies where the food products to be dispensed rotate between two vertically placed shafts, the position of the products in the front and rear part thereof is reversed and the products overturn. In the dispensing of the products, they drop towards the receiving box and this may deteriorate them.
Patent P9800864 describes a dispensing mechanism of the products deposited in the different compartments of some storage trays, which are defined by a base open in the center where the products are deposited. Under the center part of the base there is a chain or belt geared between some pinions, the corresponding motor transmitting rotating movement to one of the shafts of a pinion.
The conveying of the products in the removal thereof is carried out by some bodies that move them one by one and that slide with respect to the support base, in such a way that said bodies are connected to the conveyor chain or conveyor belt by means of some generally H-shaped intermediate bodies.
Hence, said generally H-shaped bodies at one of their ends connect rotatably to the conveyor belt and at their other end they connect to the conveying bodies, in such a way that upon moving on the open base they are in a vertical position and at the bottom part thereof they are released from the conveying base and they turn with respect to the chain occupying a minimum space.
For this reason the generally H-shaped intermediate body has in its part connecting to the chain respective pivots with respect to the inside surface of its wings that fit in respective holes of the chain, whereas in the part connecting to the conveying body it has respective pivots with respect to the outside surface of its wings that fit in respective holes of the inside surface of a center recess made in the generally rectangular-shaped products conveying the products.
Likewise, the bodies conveying the products have some flanges that abut to the base where the products are deposited in order to keep them in a vertical position and with respect to the center recess thereof the bodies have in the bottom in relation to both sides of the recess, respective flanges in a longitudinal direction.
Certificate of addition P9802496 of the main patent P9800864 describes some improvements in the dispensing mechanism in such a way that the bodies for conveying the products on the open base in the operations of removal of the products one by one, are connected rotatably to the conveyor chain itself, which for this purpose has some small projections very close to each other provided with some holes in which respective pivots of the inside surface of the center recess of the bodies for conveying the products fit.
These embodiments adequately meet their purpose, but if it is a question of trying to increase the range of goods to be dispensed and the goods are heavier, it may happen that in the conveying of the products on the base where they are deposited, due to the forward movement of the conveyor belt, the braking force manages to tighten the chain up to the point that it is released from the pinion, chain which rotates without there being any forward movement of the chain. This may hypothetically happen given that as the products act like brakes on the chain by means of the conveying bodies, the chain tends to rise in the center and its rising is caused at the sides up to the point that same is released. This is when the conveying pinion will rotate but it will not convey the chain.
The present specification describes some improvements in the dispensing mechanism of products of a vending machine for the purpose of guaranteeing a vertical position of the bodies conveying the products in the removal of the products, at the same time that a possible release of the conveyor chain with respect to the spur pinions is prevented, in such a way that it is of the type of vending machines that include refrigerating equipment that keeps the products refrigerated in order to adequately preserve them until they are consumed. These vending machines have the products to be dispensed in some compartments, so that the products are moved one by one by respective bodies connected rotatably to a chain geared between a pair of pinions and the base where the products are deposited being open in the center. The connecting chain of the bodies that move the products are in relation to said opening, in such a way that the cited bodies for movement of the products have a center recess in the bottom at whose sides there are respective lugs, in such a way that in relation to the outside surface of said lugs there are respective pivots, in orthogonal position towards the outside, which are positioned under the respective strips that form the base where the products are deposited, limiting the vertical movement of the chain to which the bodies for removal of the products are rotatably connected.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the pivots of the lugs, positioned orthogonally with respect to the outside surface thereof, are placed towards the rear part thereof with respect to the rotating connection of the bodies to the chain.
In this way, in the thrust and movement of the products a hypothetical release of the chain with respect to a spur pinion is prevented, that is to say, that the chain may be released from the drive pinion not causing the conveying of the chain and with this the products do not move forward on the open base where they are deposited.